Rocky Road Caramel Popcorn

Yep, you read that right. Rocky road caramel popcorn. You’re all welcome!! My little toddler loves herself something sweet and all things popcorn, so I was trying to think of a fun twist on a caramel corn to make at home for her.

Since rocky road is one of my favorite ice cream flavors, well, combining the two seemed a like a good way to please everyone! If you haven’t made caramel popcorn at home before, it’s surprisingly easy and I’ll show you how!

Related: Easy Popcorn Balls, 30 Easy Finger Food Ideas, and Easy Caramel Apples.

Rocky Road Caramel Popcorn, makes 7 cups
Recipe adapted from Two Sisters Crafting’s Easy Homemade Caramel Corn

6 cups freshly popped popcorn
1/2 cup vegan butter (if you don’t need non-dairy you can do regular butter)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup chocolate chips (I like this vegan option)
1/2 cup toasted almonds (roughly chopped)
1/2 cup mini marshmallows

First, you are going to start with 6 cups of freshly popped popcorn (you’ll use a little less than 1/4 cup of kernels to get 6 cups). Set popcorn aside.

Add your butter to a pot and let it melt over medium heat. Once melted, add in your brown sugar and mix them to combine.

Let your butter and sugar melt come to a boil over medium heat while stirring and then and let it boil for 4 minutes without stirring. After 4 minutes, add your vanilla and stir. Wait one more minute and then add in your baking soda and stir.

While your caramel is cooking you can take your roughly chopped almonds and put them in a dry pan over medium heat for a few minutes, making sure to check and stir them often, until you get a nice toasted color and delicious smell. Set them aside to cool.

Pour the caramel over the popcorn while you gently mix the popcorn around (you want to kind of fold it in) and let it cool slightly. I like to do a few shakes of salt at this point as well to get that salty/sweet combo.

Now, here’s a part where you can decide what you want to do. If you want some melted chocolate and malted marshmallows in your popcorn, you’ll want to add half of each in now while the popcorn is still warm so they will melt and coat some of the pieces.

Then, once the popcorn is totally cool, you can add in the rest of your ingredients so those won’t be melted. If you do the melty method, depending on the chocolate chips you use, they may remain a little melty once the popcorn has cooled. But you can pop the popcorn into the fridge for a few minutes to let it set.

Don’t I have such a cute helper?!

If you aren’t doing the melty method, just allow the popcorn to cool and then mix in your marshmallows, toasted nuts, and chocolate chips.

Eat within a day or two and store in an airtight container (mine actually kept pretty well in a metal tin in the fridge for a few days).

Let’s just say that one phrase came to mind when I was eating this—it’s dangerously good. Like, I had to slow my pace of eating it because I was basically shoveling it into my mouth at one point. YUM!

Lola loved to help add in all the mix-ins at the end and her face lit up like a Christmas tree when she tasted it—yay!

If you love a classic rocky road taste, check out these rocky road cookies! Hope this treat helps bring a bright spot into your week as well! xo. Laura

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Caramel popcorn with marshmellows and chocolate chips

Cost $7

Yield 7 cups

Prep 20 minutes mins

Total 20 minutes mins

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• ▢ 6 cups freshly popped popcorn
• ▢ ½ cup vegan butter (if you don’t need non-dairy you can do regular butter)
• ▢ ½ cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ cup chocolate chips (I like this vegan option)
• ▢ ½ cup toasted almonds (roughly chopped)
• ▢ ½ cup mini marshmallows

Equipment

• ▢
  popcorn popper (or pot with lid)
• ▢
  large pan or skillet

Instructions

• First, you are going to start with 6 cups of freshly popped popcorn (you’ll use a little less than ¼ cup of kernels to get 6 cups). Set popcorn aside.
• Add your butter to a pot and let it melt over medium heat. Once melted, add in your brown sugar and mix them to combine.
• Let your butter and sugar melt come to a boil over medium heat while stirring and then and let it boil for 4 minutes without stirring. After 4 minutes, add your vanilla and stir. Wait one more minute and then add in your baking soda and stir.
• Let your butter and sugar melt come to a boil over medium heat while stirring and then and let it boil for 4 minutes without stirring. After 4 minutes, add your vanilla and stir. Wait one more minute and then add in your baking soda and stir.
• Pour the caramel over the popcorn while you gently mix the popcorn around (you want to kind of fold it in) and let it cool slightly. I like to do a few shakes of salt at this point as well to get that salty/sweet combo.
• Now, here’s a part where you can decide what you want to do. If you want some melted chocolate and malted marshmallows in your popcorn, you’ll want to add half of each in now while the popcorn is still warm so they will melt and coat some of the pieces.

  Then, once the popcorn is totally cool, you can add in the rest of your ingredients so those won’t be melted. If you do the melty method, depending on the chocolate chips you use, they may remain a little melty once the popcorn has cooled. But you can pop the popcorn into the fridge for a few minutes to let it set.
• If you aren’t doing the melty method, just allow the popcorn to cool and then mix in your marshmallows, toasted nuts, and chocolate chips. Eat within a day or two and store in an airtight container (mine actually kept pretty well in a metal tin in the fridge for a few days).

© Author Laura Gummerman

Course Snack

Cuisine American

Keywords caramel apple, popcorn, rocky road